


Cricket match 1920

by UsernamesAreCool32



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Caring, Coming Out, Cricket, Ex-colleagues to Friends to Lovers, Falling In Love, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Teaching, slight injury
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 05:40:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28790376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UsernamesAreCool32/pseuds/UsernamesAreCool32
Summary: Thomas teaches Tom to play cricket.Maybe the start of a nice friendship or maybe a little more.
Relationships: Thomas Barrow & Tom Branson, Thomas Barrow/Tom Branson
Comments: 3
Kudos: 34





	1. Fielding practice

“Cricket why cricket?” Tom kept asking himself, football he might have been able to manage, but he had never picked up a cricket bat in his entire life. It was for a good cause - getting Robert to support his and Matthew’s plan for the estate but still he didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of the village or the family not when he was just starting to get in their good books. 

He was on his way to the servants hall looking for Mr Barrow - Lord Grantham had thoroughly sung his praises as the best cricket player in the village and Tom thought if he needs to learn fast he might as well ask the best player they have even if he is a smug and cold ex-colleague. He and Thomas had never been the best of friends downstairs, mostly staying out of each other’s way, doing their own things and since Tom had moved upstairs Thomas had never seemed too keen on calling him sir. Tom had heard some murmurs of something happening between Thomas and the new footman James but wasn’t quite sure what exactly but when he got to the hall it seemed to be a little on edge. Anna was sat at the table doing some sewing. 

“Hello I’m looking for Mr Barrow do you know where he might be?” Tom asked. 

“He was is the boot last time I saw him” she replied. 

Tom gave her a nod and a quick “thank you” and made his way to the boot room.

Thomas was standing polishing a pair Lord Grantham’s shoes wearing an apron over his livery he looked up from his work as Tom entered. 

“Mr Barrow I have been told you are a good cricket player” 

“What’s it to you ... sir” Thomas said his grey eyes narrowing.

"Well I’ve decided to play for the house team and I was recommended to come to you for some lessons” neither of these things were entirely true but felt better to say than “I was forced to play cricket and don’t want to look like a complete idiot teach me.”

Thomas raised his eyebrows and considered his options. He could polish boots while trying to avoid awkward interactions with his colleagues or teach his ex-colleague now superior Branson how to play cricket. He chose the latter as at least he would get some sun and a chance to show off his skill.

“Alright I’ll teach you” Thomas responded “How much do you know about cricket?”

Tom stood in silence shifting from side to side thinking of an answer but before he could Thomas cut in, sharp as always.

“I’ll take that as nothing” Thomas took off his apron and hung it up. “Right well we will have to start with the basics and work up from that.” There was a few days before the match Thomas thought so as long as Tom wasn’t completely incompetent he could at least be decent enough not to be an embarrassment to the family. 

“Follow me” Thomas instructed walking out of the boot room and Tom instinctively followed close behind.

Thomas brought him to a cupboard where he picked up a cricket bat, ball and got Tom to carry the wicket. They then went out through the courtyard to a decent sized section of grass where Thomas stopped and said to put down the wicket. Tom did what he was told and then looked expectantly towards Thomas.

Thomas was couple inches taller than him and thinner compared to his more stocky build with very sharp cheek bones, cold dark eyes and nice ...

“Right” Thomas said snapping Tom back to reality -what had he just been thinking? He had never gotten carried away like that before or at least not about Thomas. He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and prepare himself to learn.

“To play cricket you need two teams of eleven players. The teams take it in turns to bat and to field and these are called innings. There’s normally 4 innings per match so each team bats twice and fields twice. Did you understand that?” 

“Yes I’m pretty sure”

“Good. First we will practice some fielding” Thomas instructed picking up the ball. Tom could tell he was enjoying being in charge. “Can you catch?”

“I’ve played catch before Thomas”

“It’s Mr Barrow now to you sir” Thomas said sharply.

“I’ve played catch before Mr Barrow” Tom said with slightly sarcastic tone like a school child saying may instead of can I.

Thomas ignored the sarcasm and threw the hard ball quite high in air towards Tom in a big arc. A simple throw to catch for a start. Tom watched the ball fall lazily through the air and caught it in his hands moving them down so it didn’t hurt. Thomas gave him an approving nod and Tom threw the ball back.

They threw the ball back and forward a few more times getting a bit faster and a bit further every time. They were started to pick up some speed running from side to side over the grass. It was a little competition now of how fast they could catch and return the ball. This was something he would imagine doing with Sybbie not Mr Barrow but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t having fun. Thomas had seemed to have dropped his cold hard exterior and was actually smiling, really smiling and god he looked handsome laughing and actually enjoying himself.

That when Tom felt a burst of pain shoot through his left fingers. He let out a loud “Ahh!” and grabbed his injured fingers in his other hand. He had been too busy starring at Thomas’s pretty face to move his hand back so the ball had slammed right into his fingers bending them back.

Thomas stopped smiling realising what had happened and came rushing over.

“Are you alright? Let me see” Thomas said his voice filled with concern. Tom held up his left hand which Thomas carefully held on to - one hand on either side of his palm as to not hurt his fingers any more. Thomas lifted his hand up straight inspecting each finger. His hands were a little smaller than Thomas’s and harder probably from when he used to fix the cars. Thomas’s hands were surprising gentle for someone who used them almost constantly to carry or clean or organise.

“I don’t think they are broken but we should have been wearing gloves this is my fault.”

“It’s not your fault we were both getting quite competitive” Tom replied with a chuckle.

Thomas looked up from his hands and at Tom’s face like he was calculating why he wasn’t yelling at him or blaming it all on him. Tom almost felt bad for him, why did he expect that straight away? Wait, why did he feel sorry for Thomas? He was the one that got injured.

Thomas repositioned their hands. Now Tom’s hand was resting palm down on top of Thomas’s right palm.

“Can you bend your fingers?”

“I think so”

Tom slowly bent his fingers around Thomas’s hand. They hurt but definitely not as much as before. He felt Thomas’s fingers curl up holding his hand softly.

“Well you can still grip things but I don’t think it would be a good idea to practice batting now”

Tom nodded a disappointed smile on his face.

“Maybe tomorrow?” Tom asked sounding hopeful.

“Maybe but we will have to get the pads out. We don’t want damaged legs as well as hands.”

They laughed a little then caught each other’s eyes. Thomas’s eyes looked brighter than they had before more silver than grey and warmer. Had Tom’s eyes alway been that blue? Thomas thought they contrasted nicely to his light brown hair that looked almost ginger in the sun.

They had lowered their hands down still looking into each other’s eyes. Thomas absent minded brushed his thumb over the top of Tom’s hand. Suddenly both of them realised what they were doing and quickly let go of each other’s hands and looked away. Tom felt his face get warmer but didn’t feel too bad as Thomas seemed a bit pinker than normal too. They were a bit closer together than Tom remembered them being so he took a step back then patted the sides of his legs.

“Right we should probably get this stuff tidied up before Carson starts yelling at us that we will be late for dinner” Tom said breaking the silence.

“Ahh yes” replied Thomas remembering the cricket gear that was laying abandoned in the grass.

Tom picked up the ball that had rolled away after attempting to break his fingers and jogged back to Thomas who had collected the bat and the wicket. They walked up to the abbey together not really saying much. They were both thinking about what had just happened and what it meant. They went in through the servants hall which was starting to get busier as it was getting close to dinner time. When they arrived at the store cupboard Thomas opened it and placed down the equipment and Tom balanced the ball on the shelf and gave it a hard stare so it wouldn’t roll off. Thomas gave him a half smile and shut the door again. They made their way to the stairs. People were bustling about Albert the hall boy quickly went past them on his way to deliver something. When they got to the stairs Thomas gestured towards them like he was welcoming Tom home. 

He thanked Thomas and began to climb then he stopped and turned towards Thomas and lingered for a moment.

“I did enjoy today Thomas I’m looking forward to our next lesson” Tom said a bit more honestly than he meant to. He realised he had called Thomas, well... Thomas and expected another sharp correction but it didn’t come. Thomas just smiled and nodded.

“So did I Sir if that’s not impertinent to say”

Tom smiled back and said “No that’s good. I’ll see you tomorrow roughly the same time if that’s alright”

“Certainly Sir” was Thomas’s reply. It was funny, now that Thomas was actually calling him Sir he almost wanted him to just call him Tom.

He started walking up the stairs and up to his room to get dressed for dinner flexing his fingers as he went. They didn’t hurt now but he knew that they would be aching later.

He remembered holding hands with Thomas it had felt nice while it had lasted. He wondered if Thomas felt the same way then regretted his thoughts. But Thomas had held his hand back and brushed it gently you don’t just do that to a person you don’t like and he had actually let him call him Thomas so maybe there was some hope. Tom let out a snort. What was he doing? He had never got along with the man then he played catch with him for a while and now he’s hoping for something between them. He smiled to himself thinking about the ridiculousness of it.

Well it’s not against the law to hope is it?


	2. Batting practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: brief mention of Sybil’s death, implied homophobia 
> 
> Not a lot of cricket but a lot of character development :)

Tom woke up with the sun shining through his curtains. He rolled over trying to ignore the brightness then sighed knowing it was useless and slowly got out of bed. He yawned and stretched then looked back as his bed. It still hurt not waking up next to Sybil and it always felt a little too cold but he was getting used to it. Sybil wouldn’t want him to mope around forever and anyway he had to be strong for Sybbie. He also had his cricket lesson with Thomas to look forward to even if he wouldn’t admit just why he was looking forward to it.

Nothing much happened during the morning. Tom went down for breakfast as normal said a few good mornings and had some toast. Thomas smiled at him from the sideboard when he looked over so he gave a small smile back then continued to eat. Was Thomas just trying to be friendly or is he playing with him on purpose? Tom wasn’t sure. He discussed more of the plans for the estate with Robert and Matthew and went to play with Sybbie and George for a while.

Soon enough lunch came and went and then it was time for the cricket lesson. Tom made his way downstairs once again looking for Thomas. He was sitting in his rocking chair by the fireplace reading a newspaper - some things never change - when he heard movement he looked up then gave a polite smile realising it was Tom. He got up and folded the newspaper leaving it on his chair. 

“Let’s get the kit out then Sir” Thomas suggested already walking towards the cupboard. Tom followed him again but at least this time he knew where he was going. They grabbed the bat, ball, wicket and this time Thomas picked up some leg guards. 

"We can put these on when we get outside" Thomas said gesturing to the guards.

While he didn't particularly like the idea of getting injured again, Tom thought of how close and gentle Thomas had been while caring for his hand - holding his hand. He realised he had lost focus again and was just staring at the leg guards. 

"Err yes, of course" Tom replied. God Thomas must think he's such an idiot.

Thomas nodded then the pair headed out to the patch of grass they used yesterday.

"Right" Thomas explained while putting down the wicket "Batting is where things get a bit more complicated but first put these on” Thomas handed Tom a pair of leg guards.

Tom took them and then realised he had no idea how to put them on. In an attempt to not look useless, he watch how Thomas put them on and copied, and ended up putting them on successfully. He smiled down at himself, proud of his achievement then up at Thomas who seemed to be waiting for him.

“A batters job is to hit the ball as far as possible then run between the wickets as many times as they can before a fielder can hit one of the wickets with the ball”

“I think I get it” Tom said slightly sceptical.

“You will pick it up once you start playing and it’ll make sense” Thomas was being very understanding Tom thought, maybe he should of gone into teaching instead of service.

It was a rather sunny afternoon, not exactly perfect for teaching sport but Thomas wanted to make the most of it. It wasn’t often he got to work outside and while it was a bit awkward at first it wasn’t too bad teaching Tom. In fact Thomas had quite warmed to Tom he could see why Sybil had gotten attached to the little Irish chauffeur - he had a certain charm to him.

While having a black livery had the benefit of looking quite smart it had the draw back of getting stifling in the sun. Normally Thomas would just bare it to keep up appearances but since it was just him and Tom, he decided to take off his jacket.

Tom watched Thomas remove his jacket and fold it down onto the grass - Mr Barrow in a waistcoat was a sight to behold - Tom could feel his face get red as he watched Thomas roll up his sleeves revealing his ivory arms. He felt ridiculous acting like a heroine in a Victorian novel who just saw her love interests ankles and was ready to swoon but he couldn’t deny he felt a bit hot under the collar. He removed his own jacket and roll up his sleeves to match Thomas in an attempt to fix his problem but it didn’t do much. 

Thomas picked up the bat and handed it Tom taking note of Tom’s slightly toned arms left over from his old job - for batting purposes obviously- then took a few steps back. Tom took the handle with one hand and placed the wider end on the floor.

“How you hold the bat is very important. It’s how you put the power into your hit” Thomas instructed “You’re right handed aren’t you?

“Yes” Tom said with a nod.

“Ok so you put your right hand on first in a V shape below the middle of the handle then your left hand just above it”

“Like this?” Tom asked raising up the bat for Thomas to see.

“Not quite, but close move your hand down a little more”

Tom repositioned and asked again “Is this better?”

“You’re aiming for a V shape between you thumb and first finger”

Tom tried to correct his grip again showing Thomas another time.

It still wasn’t right but Thomas could see Tom was struggling and didn’t want him to get annoyed and give up so he walked over to him.

“Here let me help” Thomas said gently.

He stood slightly behind Tom and lent over the shorter man’s shoulder and put his hands over Tom’s trying to get them in the right position. He knew how this must of looked but no one was around and he felt drawn to Tom... oh god... Thomas thought he’s fallen for Tom... and so soon after Jimmy... he swallowed and tried to ignore his new realisation. He would have to finish the lesson then deal with it later.

Thomas lent in closer, Tom could feel his hot breath on his ear, it made his neck tingle. He could feel his face getting warmer as Thomas corrected his hands on the bat. Tom turned his face towards Thomas, their eyes met and their noses were almost touching. Tom couldn’t take it any longer and he kissed him right there, right on the lips. Thomas eyes widened in surprise he pulled away from the shorter man letting go of his hands. He could see the panic in Tom’s eyes at what he had just done and how Thomas had reacted. A streak of guilt rippled through Thomas seeing Tom tense up with fear.

“I’m sorry I... I...” Tom started to stammer.

Thomas cut him off by putting a hand up to his face, looking into Tom’s now tearing up sapphire eyes and kissing him back. He wrapped his other hand around Tom’s waist holding him close. Time seemed to slow as they kissed. Tom relaxed as his fear was replaced by warmth and he wrapped his arms around Thomas the bat now laying forgotten at their feet. It felt good, so good, neither of them realised just how much they had needed this. To feel loved despite everything. Tom felt the tears run down his face and then then being gently brushed away by Thomas’s thumb as they embraced.

When they finally broke apart and let go of one another they were both smiling. Thomas had a tear resting on his cheek which he quickly rubbed off with his shirt sleeve and gave a small laugh. Thomas definitely wasn’t the cold, emotionless man Tom used to think he was. There was a completely different side to him that very few get to see, a side he seemed to keep hidden away in fear of getting hurt, a side that was caring and loving and Tom was very glad he was the one to uncover it.

They tried to continued the batting practice but it was no use. There was so much they wanted to say to each other and Tom didn’t want to risk another accidental injury for himself or one for Thomas. They decided to call it a day and took off their leg guards and put all the kit in a pile. Tom sat down on the grass next to the pile and looked up at Thomas - those cheek bones certainly looked sharp from below - and patted the ground next to him offering Thomas a seat. He took the invitation and plonked himself down onto the soft grass. They both stared out across the grounds for a little while as the hands between them found each other and their fingers looped together in the grass.

Thomas was the on to break the silence. 

“How long have you known you were... different?” Asked Thomas still looking off into the distance.

“When I was a teenager I think I realised I... I wasn’t quite the same... I mean I like women but... I also like men...” It felt odd to say it out loud. He had know for nearly half his life but had never dared to say it out loud before. A younger version of himself would of been terrified - he was terrified earlier for the few seconds before Thomas kissed him back - but now if felt like a weight had been lifted, it was out in the open, well at least out to a person who would understand him.

“How about you?”

“About the same I guess. Early teens but I realised I liked men and just men” Thomas replied. “Everyone around me seemed to know before I did” he sighed looking down at his feet “things sort of clicked into place when I realised. Why I didn’t find the girls interesting when all the other boys did and why none of the boys seemed to like me an awful lot”

Tom squeezed Thomas hand tenderly making him look up.

“Well what they think doesn’t matter now. I like you, I like you a lot.” Tom said.

Thomas laughed.

“What it’s true!”

Thomas continued to laugh.

“I would yell it from the roof if I could!”

“Don’t you will get us both in trouble!” Thomas retorted.

“I would tell the whole world that the cold and unfeeling Mr Barrow has a warm heart and that I love him and...” 

Thomas put his hand over Tom’s mouth shutting him up.

“Shush! A gardener could hear you! And I have a reputation to keep!” Thomas said trying to muster his professional under-butler face but failed miserably.

“Eay der cur er lev oo” Tom spoke into Thomas hand.

“What?” Thomas quietly asked removing his hand from Tom’s face.

“I said I don’t care I love you” Tom whispered back making Thomas blush.

“I love you too you” Thomas said quietly.

Suddenly Thomas grabbed his jacket and pulled out his pocket watch.

“Oh god it’s nearly dinner time we better get moving”

“But I want to stay here with you” Tom complained.

“Now’s not time to be romantic! Not if you want warm food and want me to keep my job!” Thomas said hurriedly putting his jacket back on and tossing Tom’s at him. 

“Calm down it will be fine if all else fails I’ll go to dinner looking like this” Tom replied trying to be reassuring.

“Not if I can help it” Thomas came back with.

“Are you saying you want to undress me Mr Barrow?” Tom teased picking up the bat and ball and raising an eyebrow at Thomas.

“Tom you know that’s not what I meant!” Thomas hissed but with a smile on his face while picking up the wicket and the guards.

“I believe that’s Sir to you” Tom said in his poshest voice.

“Shut up” 

“Rudeness? I could report you to Carson for that and get you sacked”

“You wouldn’t”

“No I wouldn’t not now anyway”

“Hey!” Thomas said mock offence in his voice.

“What?” Tom questioned.

“So you would of got me fired before?”

“Probably not. I would of missed looking at your pretty face while eating”

“Flirt”

They went back through the servants hall once again. 

“You’re late in Sir, Thomas” Mrs Hughes remarked.

“Sorry I took a bit longer to get the hang of batting than I thought I would it’s my fault I kept Thomas busy” Tom said. He probably would have to practice batting again tomorrow as he didn’t really get much practice today but he didn’t mind and knew Thomas wouldn’t mind much either.

They put the kit back in the cupboard and made their way to the stairs again.

“Thank you for another lesson Mr Barrow”

“You’re welcome Sir”

They both looked around, everyone was all ready where they should be and out of the corridor. They both lent in for a quick kiss before parting again. 

“Same time tomorrow?” Tom asked.

“Yes, maybe with a little more batting this time Tom” Thomas replied with a sideways smile.

Tom narrowed his eyes at Thomas jokingly before smiling and heading upstairs to change.

He would sleep a little better tonight as for some reason, he thought he knew why, he felt a little warmer than he had before and thought maybe just maybe Thomas did too.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Part of me had forgotten that Thomas’s talks with Carson happened the same episode as the cricket match so I tried to make some references to that.
> 
> This fic was partly inspired by erinmcmahon14 on Tumblr :)


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